Why a Localization Kit is Essential for Documentation Translation

May 27, 2011

Many customers new to translation projects ask us what they need
to provide in order to receive an accurate cost-estimate quotation.
Some potential clients who have not submitted resources for a
quotation even think that translation is a "drive through" process:
drop the document in a window and drive around the corner to pick
up the analysis.

The reality is quite different: quality language translation
service takes time and goes through a review/QA process, just as
you would do when you created your source documents. Your translation
company can only produce a quotation promptly and accurately if
they are provided with complete and accurate information and
resources at the time of the initial quote request.

You will need to provide the same items to your language service
provider for a quotation that you would provide to initiate an
actual translation project. The name for these collective items is
referred to as a "
Localization Kit" Quite simply this is composed of your source
files and the specific information that will enable your
translation agency to understand the scope of your
requirements.

Essential files and information for a documentation translation
project quote:

Source document files:

Typical source files for a
document translation project are MSWord, FrameMaker,
InDesign files or PowerPoint files. Be sure to include any source
graphic files in their native format, which have text that will
need to be localized.

A PDF file is not a source file. It is essentially an
image of a source document which is not editable. Your vendor will
need the source, editable document to provide a firm quotation.
Analysis of a PDF file does not provide a true word count for
leveragability of matching segments in translation memory. Source
file format document structure is not visible to your translation
agency staff, so that many Desktop Publishing issues may remain
hidden.

A PDF file does not allow the vendor to see how the file is set
up in the source format to gauge time for formatting accurately.
Images in the PDF also are not editable. It is, however,
useful to include a PDF file created from your entire documentation
project (e.g. book) so your translation vendor can use that file to
make comments and annotations to communicate where there may be
problem areas in your actual source files.

Glossary and style guide:

Many clients do not have an established glossary or style guide.
If these files are not available, your translation company can
create these as part of your document translation project. A
Glossary is a very important foundation tool for your
translation partner's team to use while translating your content.
Having key terminology agreed to upfront in a project will help the
active translation project be successful and save time in the
review process. The glossary will also aid in all future projects
as well. GE uses the term "GE Speak" to refer to their agreed upon
global corporate terminology.

Translation memory:

Translation memory (TM) is not a previously translated source
file and it is not machine translation. This is a database file
that matches the source language segments (i.e. sentences, phrases,
etc.) with the matching segment for each language you have had that
content translated into in the past.

Most translation companies maintain the policy that translation
memory is your property, as you were billed for the linguistic
services that produced that asset. Some translation agencies
deliver updated TMs to their clients at the conclusion of each
project, while other translation vendors deliver a TM update on a
quarterly basis. This is an asset to you which will reduce your
costs, save time and maintain consistency of your translation.

Translation memory technology allows translation teams to store
and reuse both source and target language content for any
translation project. Your translation company's linguistic team
will utilize
translation memory tools in order to create and maintain
multilingual glossaries and translation memories for your
projects.

Project details necessary to a localization kit:

Target language and locale

You must identify the target language and specific locale (e.g.
Canadian French vs. Continental French) in order for your
translation vendor to deliver accurate document translation. It is
very important to identify the locale for languages such as
Chinese, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

Identify required services

Identify any specific format requirements.

Must target language page breaks (pagination) match that of the
source language? Many target languages expand both word count and
the number of text lines after translation. If your source
language (usually English) has text content that nearly fills the
page, maintaining matching page breaks after translation will be
challenging. Your translation vendor will discuss alternatives,
such as reduced point sizes, reduced line spacing or alternate
fonts.

Document format:

Identify the source and delivery document format, for example,
unstructured FrameMaker version 10. Be sure to specify the
DTP application, version and operating system. The same information
will be required for any graphics that have text which requires
localization. You may wish to refer to a previous GPI blog to
discover What
You Need To Know About Graphic Localization.

Localized screenshots:

If your document contains screenshots from software or website
applications, please identify if localized screenshots will be
provided or if you want your localization vendor to create
localized screen captures. In the latter case, your translation
company will need information of how to capture each of the images
and also a list of precisely which images need to be captured.

Timeframe:

Be specific in identify your timeframe expectation for your
document translation project. Be sure to include time for any
internal processes that must take place, like internal or
in-country client review.

Providing the minimum, essential files

While some clients provide a full localization kit to
their translation partner for a project quote, others are only able
to provide a subset. And that is OK. The most important items to
provide are:

the source files,

any existing translation memory,

and basic details on the project scope

Beyond that, your translation vendor can discuss the other items
with you as they confirm the project requirements and
expectations.

Comments

Daniela Bustamante - Director: Global Production ServicesDaniela has over 16 years' experience in the translation, localization and language instruction professions. She holds a degree in Sworn, Literary, Technical, and Scientific Translation from the Instituto Nacional de Enseñanza Superior Olga Cossettini in Rosario, Argentina. Starting her career as a translator for English-Spanish/Spanish-English in 1990 over the years she has worked for several Localization Agencies as a translator, assistant project manager and senior project manager. She has completed a wide range of professional certifications in document and website localization with emphasis on translation, budgeting, quality control and project management including The Localization Institute’s Triple Certification in Localization Project Management (Localization Institute Chico, CA, USA). She has managed a wide variety of document, website, software and audio-video localization projects utilizing different Translation Management Systems (TMS), Translation Memory (TM) and I18n and L10n tool suites.